"Talk to me about the Magic Potion Gift."
A voice, indistinguishable between male and female, came from behind. Night Owl subconsciously twisted his neck slightly.
"Don't turn around, or I can't guarantee what will happen to you," the voice continued.
Night Owl's heart skipped a beat, and he froze on the spot.
"Answer my question," Colin continued.
"Okay... okay, sir," Night Owl finally reacted, hurriedly responding, then paused and with a trembling voice asked, "Sir, what did you just ask? I didn't hear it clearly."
"Talk to me about the Magic Potion Gift, and... Mercy."
"Oh... okay, okay," Night Owl organized his language, and spoke like spilling beans:
"Gift and Mercy... Well, originally, there was only the Magic Potion Mercy, which suddenly appeared in the Merci black market about six months ago, while Magic Potion Gift is a new product that appeared just two months ago."
"What else?"
"Also... also, they are both said to be from the hands of a foreign Second Rank Magic Pharmacist known as Harbinger of Death, who has a very mysterious background. Initially, there were even Pureblood Families who wanted to move against him because of the potions, but it all came to nothing in the end."
"Continue."
"And... and...," Night Owl's mind was racing, his face frantic, but he just kept muttering.
Colin slightly furrowed his brow.
"There's... there's no more I know, sir..." Feeling the brewing strong energy fluctuation behind him, Night Owl felt as though an invisible hand was tightly clutching his heart. He yelled in panic:
"I'm just an outer member of the network, sir... Right! I get my supply from Old Bolton, who is in the Merci black market... That's all I really know, please don't kill me!
If... if you want more information, I can take you to Old Bolton..."
Night Owl tensed up, his tone frantic, but the next moment, he suddenly realized that the Silence Magic beside him had dissipated without his knowing.
Feeling more carefully, the terrifying energy fluctuation that had been like a thorn in his back was also gone. Night Owl secretly swallowed and hesitated for a moment before slowly turning his head back.
All he saw was an empty alley, with the night wind rustling the fallen leaves on the ground.
Everything just now seemed like an illusion… Night Owl exhaled softly, pulled up his mask, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and quickly left the place.
On the other side, Colin continued on his way home.
He had no intention of looking for this Old Bolton, nor was he interested in further investigating the matter.
The night's event was just a spontaneous act.
'Harbinger of Death... a foreign wizard,' Colin shook his head.
He didn't believe a foreign wizard, alone and possessing such precious potions as Mercy and Gift, could firmly establish himself in the cutthroat environment of Neustadt City solely on his own.
Clearly, there was something fishy behind this, and it was likely that a Pureblood Wizard Family was involved, though peripheral wizards like Night Owl wouldn't possibly know.
'Mercy... Gift...' Colin pondered the names of the two potions.
The strange reaction Joyce had when she took the Mercy Potion was still vivid in his memory, and now this new Gift, which supposedly enhanced thinking speed and assisted wizards in research, was probably not a good thing either.
'The city seems to be getting more chaotic,' Colin sighed inwardly, the cold wind hitting his face, his eyes gradually hardening.
'No matter what the outside world is like, what I should do, and the only thing I can do, is to improve myself.'
Thinking this, Colin felt somewhat relieved; after all, he had never been slack.
His life had never failed to reward his diligence; the Elemental Net Witchcraft he successfully developed today was proof of that...
The night breeze was gentle, and Colin's figure gradually faded into the distance.
...
"Are you saying there might be a new opportunity coming up?"
In a finely decorated study, Gerna looked at Bale, who was sitting opposite him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, we can't afford to miss this one," Bale clamored unceremoniously, plopping down right across from Gerna.
"What kind of opportunity?" Gerna asked without concern.
"What else could it be, remember why we were sent to block Colin last time?"
"You mean... a compulsory task?" Gerna asked.
"Exactly, that Golden Feather is about to be assigned a new compulsory task, I got this information by spending a lot of effort in our Family!" Bale said.
"A while ago, that Golden Feather left Neustadt City, didn't he? He was away for about a week. During that time, the School assigned him a new compulsory task, but since he wasn't there, the task was eventually given to another wizard."
Hearing this, Gerna understood, his eyes brightening, "So you mean Colin will be reassigned a compulsory task soon... and this is our chance?"
"...Yes!" Bale paused then nodded, "We can't afford to miss it again this time."
He pondered for a moment then added, "I also heard that this compulsory task assigned to Golden Feather this time might be a bit special."
"Special... How special?" Gerna wondered.
"I don't know," Bale shook his head, pausing before adding,
"But I know that our Family has decided not to recruit this Golden Feather in the short term. Those witches who were originally responsible for maintaining a good relationship with Golden Feather have recently received a stop order."